Abstract
Underpinned by the attribution theory, this study examines the moderating effect of meagre information in the relationship between promotions and consumer usage of traditional medicine (TM) in Central Uganda. Traditional medicine is trendy despite efficacious concerns raised by various empirical studies. While extant literature presents several motivations for the newfound TM patronage, more is needed to discuss the role of promotions in this regard. Relatedly, the literature needs to include the contribution of meagre information and how it moderates the relationship between TM promotion and consumer usage. Using Cochran, a sample of 369 TM users was drawn from the cosmopolitan districts of Central Uganda. SPSS 25.0 and Amos 22.0 were used to clean and analyse the data, while Andrew Hayes 3.5 was used to test for moderation. The Johnson-Neyman test showed that increasing meagre information to -2.2503 creates an effect; at this point, TM promotions on consumer usage are moderated. The study concludes that the potential for inconsistencies, inadequacies and incompleteness in information related to traditional medicine is immense. Whilst the Ugandan government is still challenged to provide ideal regulatory frameworks to ensure THPs’ conformity to required safety, quality, and efficacy standards, they should make efforts to license and certify all THPs. Concerned regulatory bodies like the Uganda National Drug Authority and Uganda Communications Commission should regulate TM media communications to prevent the uneducated exaggeration of TM safety issues. They should streamline information disclosure to TM consumers and prohibit unbalanced public advertisements.
Keywords: traditional medicine usage, promotion, meagre information, moderation
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